Research Integrity
Biohazardous and Medical Waste Policy
University of California, Riverside
Biohazardous and Medical Waste Policy
(adopted by the UCR Institutional Biosafety Committee
July 18, 2002; revised December 11, 2002)
It is the policy of the University of California, Riverside’s Institutional Biosafety Committee that all biohazardous or medical waste must be decontaminated prior to disposal. If the biohazardous waste is mixed with chemical (other disinfectants than bleach) or radiological waste it must be picked up by EH&S for disposal.
Solid waste may be decontaminated by steam sterilization using an autoclave. Animal carcasses can be incinerated using the campus incinerator located in Life Sciences Spieth. Liquid waste, which is only contaminated with biohazardous material, may be disinfected by treatment with a 10% bleach solution for 30 minutes and disposed of down the sink. Alternately, liquid waste can be picked up by EH&S and shipped offsite for treatment.
Human remains must be disposed of through EH&S or must be returned to the Body Donation Program that provided the remains to UCR.
Biohazardous Waste:
Biohazardous Waste includes any laboratory or research waste, that is potentially infectious to humans, plants or animals, or would pose a potential threat to the community or the environment (e.g., organisms with significant environmental impact or transgenic or recombinant organisms).
If you are generating biohazardous waste you must:
- Place the waste in red biohazard bags (orange bags are illegal in California).
- Place an autoclave indicator on the bags to ensure that the autoclave reached proper temperature to decontaminate the waste. This may include autoclave tape or an indicator built into the bag.
- Label the bag with building and room number.
- Biohazardous waste must be stored in a container with a tight fitting lid prior to disposal to prevent leakage.
- All biohazardous waste must be decontaminated and disposed of within 7 days of generation if stored at a temperature above 0°C.
- All biohazardous waste must be disposed of within 90 days if stored at 0 °C or lower.
- Place all sharps in a sharps container that is red, rigid, and leak proof with the International biohazard symbol on the container. Contact EH&S at 787-5528 for containers.
- Sharps containers must be disposed of within 7 days of being filled. Contact EH&S for disposal.
- After biohazardous waste is decontaminated, it may be disposed of in the regular trash.
Medical Waste:
Riverside County’s UCR Medical Waste Permit requires anyone generating, treating, or storing medical waste to comply the following procedures:
- Have a sign on the door of the medical waste storage area, that indicates that the room contains hazardous waste.
- Doors of the medical waste storage facility must be locked and doors must remain closed to prevent unauthorized access.
- The autoclave must be spore-tested monthly. For guidance contact EH&S at 787-5528.
- The autoclave must have a chart recorder. All charts must be dated and kept by the department for 3 years.
- All medical waste treatment runs must be listed on the autoclave log and the logs must be kept by the department for 3 years.
- Place the waste in red biohazard bags (orange bags are illegal in California).
- Place autoclave tape on the bags to ensure that the autoclave reached proper temperature to decontaminate the waste.
- Medical waste must be stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid prior to disposal to prevent leakage.
- After medical waste is decontaminated it may be disposed of in the regular trash.
- All medical waste must be decontaminated and disposed of within 7 days of generation if stored at a temperature above 0°C.
- All medical waste must be disposed within of 90 days if stored at or below 0 °C.
- Place all sharps in a sharps container that is red, rigid, and leak proof with the International biohazard symbol on the container. Contact EH&S at 787-5528 for containers.
- Sharps containers must be disposed of within 7 days of being filled. Contact EH&S for disposal.